Mega CD-ROM 1/megacd_rom_1.zip/megacd_rom_1/DBASE/MEDLIN.ZIP/PC-PR.DOC

Text File | 1990-11-14 | 39KB | 880 lines

                              PC-PR
                          Version 1.9
                  Copyright 1990, Jerry Medlin


PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

     PC-PR is a payroll writing program for small and medium
size businesses.  The program runs on a IBM PC or compatible
computer with one disk drive and 128k memory.

     PC-PR is Shareware.  You are free to try the program and
are encouraged to give copies to anyone who might use it.  Since
the federal tax tables are included in the program, you need an
updated version of the program each year.  The cost for the
updated program is $35.  The program as distributed, includes
the 1991 federal tax tables.  To receive a copy of the program
with 1992 tax tables send $35 to:

          Jerry Medlin
          1461 Sproul Avenue
          Napa, Ca.  94559

     To order using Master Card or Visa, call [phone].

     Your payment will also entitle you to limited telephone
assistance and a configuration program to change certain
features of the program.

     To run the payroll program, simply type "PC-PR" at the DOS
prompt.  If you want to specify a drive and path for your data,
add the drive and path description after the program name.  i.e.
type "PC-PR C:PAYROLL\" to use the directory named PAYROLL on
the C drive for data files.  If you want the root directory on B
drive, type "PC-PR B:"

     You will be asked to enter a date.  This date is used to
date all of the payroll checks written.  You will also be asked
to enter a memo line to print on the payroll checks.  Press the
Enter key if you do not wish to print a comment or memo line on
the payroll checks.

     A menu is then displayed:

          Enter or Change Employee Data
          Enter or Change Payroll Checks
          Print Employee Listing
          Print Payroll Check Listing
          Print Payroll Ledger
          Print Quarterly Payroll List
          Federal Liability by Paydate
          Start a New Quarter or Year
          Enter or Change Employer Data
          Export ASCII Data
          End Processing

     Use the arrow keys to highlight your selection, then press
enter.

     PC-PR is fast because it works with data in memory.  The
capacity is limited by available memory.  Because memory is
shared by the data, with more employees on file, fewer payroll
checks can be entered.  PC-PR allows a maximum of 1000 employees
and 1000 payroll checks per accounting period with 512k of
memory.  With 256k the capacity is reduced to about 200
employees and 200 checks.

     Each time the menu is displayed, the number of payroll
checks that can be added with the available memory is printed at
the bottom of the screen.  The number of employees that can be
added is obtained by dividing this number by 2, as each employee
takes up twice as much memory as a payroll check entry.

     Since a power interruption will result in loosing all the
data currently entered into the program, occasionally save your
data back to the disk.  This is done by selecting End Processing
from the menu.  The current data will be saved to the disk.  You
will be asked "Do you want to end ?".  Answer with an "N" and
you may resume processing.


THE PROCESSING CYCLE

     Payroll checks may be written on any cycle from daily to
annually.  After each batch of payroll checks, print the Payroll
Check Listing report and the Payroll Ledger report.  This will
provide a printed "audit trail", so you will know where you got
all those numbers on the employee's W-2s.

     Payroll Checks are printed as the payroll data is entered.
When all of the payroll checks for the current payroll have been
printed, you may begin printing reports.  Reports may be printed
in any order, and as often as desired.  If you discover an error
in any of the reports, correct the problem and reprint the
report.  At any time, you can stop processing by choosing the
End Processing selection from the menu.  Data will automatically
be saved.

     When you start the program, you are asked "Do you want to
start a new payroll period? (Y/N)".  If you answer the question
with a "N", the latest payroll checks are loaded and you may add
additional entries.  If you answer "Y", the current period
balances are set to zero and the payroll checks for the previous
period are saved for later review.  You may then begin entering
a new payroll.  Important:  If you don't print either the
Payroll Check Listing or the Payroll Ledger report, you won't be
able to start a new period, because you won't be asked "Do you
want to start a new payroll period?".


ENTER OR CHANGE EMPLOYER DATA

     Before you do anything with PC-PR you need to enter a
screen of employer information.  This employer information is
only entered once, but can be changed whenever any of the
relevant data changes.  Select ENTER OR CHANGE EMPLOYER DATA
from the main menu.  When the program is first run, most of the
data is blank.  By using the up and down arrows, you can select
each field to be changed and, by pressing "C", you may change
the information in that field.

     Space is provided for the employer name (2 lines), employer
address (2 lines) and employer federal and state identification
numbers.  The first line of the employer name is printed on all
reports.  The remaining name and address information is used
only for printing W-2's at the end of the year.

     The number of paydays per year is required to calculate
federal income tax to be withheld and must be a number between 1
and 52.  Weekly payroll is 52 paydays per year, semimonthly
payroll is 24 paydays per year, biweekly payroll is 26 paydays
per year and monthly payroll is 12 paydays per year.  If the
federal withholding amounts are calculating incorrectly, it is
because you have not entered the correct number for the number
of paydays per year.

     Next you must fill in the information for payroll
deductions.  There are 6 deductions possible with PC-PR.  The
first deduction is always federal income tax withholding (FWH).
The next deduction is always Social Security and Medicare
(FICA).  The remaining four deductions may be renamed for your
application.  You may also set a limit for each deduction and
the percentage to be withheld.  Tax will be withheld at the rate
you enter until the limit is reached.

     If you have an unlimited deduction, enter 999999 for the
limit.

     A zero value for the limit and percentage means this
deduction must be input by the user.  Such is the case with some
state income taxes, and for any miscellaneous deductions.

     A negative value for deduction percent will tell the
program to calculate the tax as a percentage of federal
withholding.  So, if your state income tax is 10 percent of
federal income tax, you should enter 10.00- for the deduction
percent for that deduction.

     A negative value for the deduction limit will tell the
program to reduce the annual taxable income by that amount per
dependent before multiplying it by the percentage.  For
instance, Illinois state income tax is calculated by reducing
the taxable pay by $1000 per dependent on an annual basis and
multiplying it times 2.5 percent.  So, you would enter -1000 for
the deduction limit and 2.50 for the percentage.  Several other
states have similar withholding plans, including Michigan (1800
per dependent and 4.60 percent) and Indiana (1000 per dependent
and 3.40 percent).

     When you enter a value of 99.99 for the deduction percent
the word "State" be displayed for the percentage.  That will
tell the program to use the state income tax withholding table.
The opening screen of PC-PR states which state tax table is
supported.  If no state is mentioned in the opening screen, the
California tax table is included.

     If the description for a withholding field is blank, you
will not be asked to enter a number in that field when you write
payroll checks.  This avoids the inconvenience of pressing the
enter key to skip unused deduction fields when entering payroll
checks.  Use the space bar to change any field to blank.

     You may input information for calculating up to 4 employer
payroll tax amounts in addition of Social Security and Medicare
Insurance.  This information is used to print a summary of
payroll taxes due for the quarter at the bottom of the payroll
ledger report, but has no effect on the calculations for
employee's payroll checks.  It is especially useful for
calculating employer paid payroll taxes such as federal
unemployment insurance (FUI).  FUI is based on payroll paid up
to a certain amount for each employee.

     Since PC-PR requires a printer capable of printing at least
96 characters across a page, you must let the program know what
printer codes are required to set your printer to 10 and 12
characters per inch (cpi).  If your printer is already set up to
print at least 96 characters or you use switches to set the
printer pitch then you can leave this part blank.  Otherwise,
enter in hexadecimal the code or codes required to change your
printer pitch to 10 cpi and 12 cpi.  Appendix A at the end of
this manual contains the codes for several popular (and not so
popular) printers.  If your printer is not listed, the
information should be available in your printer manual.

     If you have a fairly new printer, chances are it is Epson
compatible.  So, before trying to read your printer manual, try
1B50 for 10 CPI and 1B4D for 12 CPI.  If the printer codes are
correct, the report headings should be printed without any
extraneous characters and without wrapping around at the end of
the line.  Make sure you enter the 0 character as a zero, not a
capital letter O.

     The following is an example of a completed employer data
screen for the state of California for the 1991 tax year and
using a Prowriter or C-Itoh 8510 printer.  Your data will vary
depending on state law and the type of printer you are using.

     Employer Data
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Name 1      JOHN HENRY'S DRILLING       Printer Control Codes
Name 2      & EXCAVATING INC.
Address 1   333 OAT HILL ROAD
Address 2   CALISTOGA, CA.  94598       10 Cpi    1B4E
Federal ID  94-2678232                  12 Cpi    1B45
State ID    250-7432-4
Paydays per year    26

    Employee Taxes:                Employer Taxes:
Deduction    Limit     Percent     P/R Tax      Limit    Percent
 FWH         None      Internal     Soc S       53400      6.20
 FICA        2 Limits  Internal     Med        125000      1.45
 SDI         31767       1.00       SDI         31767      1.00
 SWH             0      State       SUI          7000      1.60
 Insur           0       0.00       ETT          7000      0.10
 Other           0       0.00       FUI          7000      0.80
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
 Use the arrows to move the pointer
 then <C> to change or <Esc> to exit.



ENTER OR CHANGE EMPLOYEE DATA

     Employee information is entered and changed using this
selection from the menu.  Enter the following information for
each employee:

     Employee name - Up to 25 characters are available.

     Street Address - Up to 25 characters for the street
     address.

     City, State & Zip - Up to 25 characters for the city, state
     & zip code.

     Sort by - A ten character code used to sort employees in
     alphabetical order.  Employees are sorted each time you
     leave the ENTER OR CHANGE EMPLOYEE DATA section.  In most
     cases, you will want to enter the employee's last name,
     followed by as much of the first name as will fit in the
     remaining characters.  For instance, if the employee's name
     is Jerry Medlin, the employee code would be MEDLINJERR.
     When a new employee name is entered, the program will make
     a pretty good guess and enter a sort code for you.  If you
     want to change the sort code, press the escape key.


     Social Security - Enter the employee social security number
     without spaces or dashes.  Dashes are added later, when the
     social security number is printed on reports.

     Status - Marital status can be either M for married or S
     for single.

     Allow - The number of allowances claimed by the employee.
     Enter a number from 0 to 9 or the letter E, if the employee
     is exempt from federal tax.  Entering an S for allowance
     will tell the program to input federal tax from the
     keyboard, instead of calculating it.

     Rate - The employees hourly wage rate.  If you wish, you
     can enter the pay rate for a whole pay period, then enter
     the hours as 1 when entering payroll check data.

     Dept - Enter a department number between 0 and 9.  This
     number is used to summarize payroll by department at the
     end of the Payroll Check Listing.  When an employee no
     longer works for you, enter an "X" for department and the
     employee will be omitted from payroll and employee
     listings, but retained for W2 purposes.

     Pressing the Escape key during entry takes you back to the
previous field.  Pressing the Escape key at the first entry
takes you to the command mode.  The command mode allows you to
scroll up and down through the employee names, delete employees
and change employee information.  Pressing the Escape key from
command mode takes you back to the menu.

     If you don't know the employee's address or social security
number, you can leave that information blank for now, and fill
it in later using the <C> Change option.

     The <E> Enter New Balances command allows you to enter new
quarter and year to date balances for an employee.  Be careful!
The principal purpose of this selection is to allow you to enter
opening balances when you first begin using PC-PR.  It will also
allow you to enter incorrect balances and foul things up!

     At times, you may want to find an employee without
scrolling through the entire employee list.  To do this, use the
<G> Go to Employee selection from the command mode.  Enter the
employee's name, or even the beginning of the name, and the
program will take you immediately to that employee.

     All acceptable commands are printed at the bottom of the
screen.


ENTER OR CHANGE PAYROLL CHECKS

     Payroll checks are printed on a common check form from New
England Business Services (NEBS).  Order the checks pre printed
and numbered.  You will need to send a voided check with your
account number, your company name and address and the beginning
check number to:  NEBS, 500 Main Street, Groton, MA  01470.  You
can get pricing and order information by calling NEBS at 1-800-
388-3810.  The form number is 9022 and the catalog code number
is 95111.

     With the PRCONFIG program provided to registered users you
can print on a variety of check forms.  See the description of
PRCONFIG at the end of this manual for details.

     The ENTER OR CHANGE PAYROLL CHECKS selection allows you to
enter or change payroll checks.  Payroll checks are normally
printed as the payroll information is entered.  This normally
causes no delay with most printers, and results in a shorter
overall time for doing a payroll.  If you prefer, you can skip
printing the checks as they are entered, and print them one at a
time using the <P> Print command.

     Before any payroll checks are entered, you must have
entered your employer information into the program as explained
in the previous section.

     The following information must be entered to calculate a
payroll check:

     Date - The date entered at the beginning of the processing
     period is automatically entered for each payroll check.
     The only way to change the date is to go back to the date
     entry at the beginning of the program and enter a new date.

     Employee Name - You don't have to type in the employees
     name.  Just use the up and down arrows on the number pad to
     search for the employee you want to pay.  When you find the
     right employee, press the enter key.  There is no need to
     memorize employee numbers.  Payroll checks are entered by
     name only.

     Check Number - Up to 4 characters for the check number.
     Alphabetic characters are allowed.  Pressing the enter or
     plus <+> key enters a number equal to the previous check
     number plus one.

     Total Hours - The total hours worked by the employee for
     the pay period.  This will be multiplied by the rate
     entered for the employee to determine regular pay.  The
     total hours should include any overtime hours.

     O.T. Hours - Overtime hours worked for the pay period.
     This number will be multiplied by one half the rate entered
     for the employee to determine the overtime excess pay.
     Only the overtime EXCESS is paid as overtime, the rest of
     the overtime is included with the regular pay.  So, if a
     weekly employee worked 42 hours, enter 42 hours for Total
     Hours and 2 hours for O.T. Hours.

     Other Income - Enter the dollar amount of any other income
     to be paid during this pay period.  Use this entry for
     entering total pay for salaried employees, or any extra pay
     for hourly employees.

     Non Taxable - If you want to add a non taxable payment to
     the check (such as an auto allowance or reimbursement for
     supplies paid for by the employee), you can enter it here.
     Be sure the amount you are entering is, in fact, non
     taxable, because the amount will be added to the net check
     with no deductions taken.

     The program will then instantly calculate the payroll
deductions that are supposed to be calculated and prompt you to
enter the deductions which are not calculated.  You will then be
presented with four choices:


<Enter> or <+>  Print this check       <C> Change this check
<X> Skip Printing                      <Esc> Cancel this check

     Normally you will press the enter or plus key and the check
will be printed.  If you made an error in one of the steps
above, or if you want to change one of the deduction amounts,
select <C> and you will be given an opportunity to change any of
the check information, and then returned to the above four
choices.  Should you not want to print the check at this time,
you can press the X key.  The <X> Skip Printing choice is
usually used when you want to enter a manually written check
into the payroll.  Pressing the Escape key will cancel the
check.

     Pressing the Escape key during entry takes you back to the
previous field.  Pressing the Escape key at first entry position
(Name) takes you to the command mode.

     The command mode allows you to scroll up and down through
the entries, delete entries, change entries, and print any
checks you left unprinted.  From the command mode, press the <T>
Total key to see the total of all the payroll checks written so
far.

     Pressing the Escape key from command mode takes you back to
the menu.  All the available commands are printed at the bottom
of the screen and may be chosen by a single keystroke.


PRINTING REPORTS

     When you first enter the PC-PR program, you are asked to
enter a report date.  This date is used on all reports.  If you
want to change the report date, press Escape at the Main Menu.


PRINT EMPLOYEE LISTING

     This is a listing of all current information for each
employee.  Use this sheet as a payroll input sheet for the next
pay period, and to check addresses and social security numbers
for accuracy.

     You may also choose to print the list in Mailing Label
format.  A mailing label for each employee can be printed on
standard 3.5" X 15/16" labels.


PRINT PAYROLL CHECK LISTING

     This report lists all of the payroll checks written for the
payroll period.  At the end of the payroll check listing, the
total of all checks is printed followed by a breakdown of
payroll by department.  Print and retain this report after each
payroll for a permanent record.


PRINT PAYROLL LEDGER

     The payroll ledger is an important "audit trail" for the
 PC-PR program.  It lists each employee with his or her payroll
balance at the beginning of the payroll period.  Each payroll
check for the employee is listed followed by the quarter to date
and year to date balances for the employee at the end of the
payroll period.

     At the end of the Payroll Ledger report, the quarterly
payroll tax liabilities are calculated and printed.  These
numbers have no effect on payroll, but are there to help you
fill out the various state and federal payroll tax forms. The
calculations are based on information you entered in the ENTER
OR CHANGE EMPLOYER INFORMATION section of the program.

     Important!  If you don't print either the Payroll Ledger
Report or the Payroll Check Listing, the program will not ask
you if you want to start a new payroll period at the beginning
of the program.  This is done to assure a payroll audit trail.


PRINT QUARTERLY PAYROLL LIST

     This report prints a list of employee names, social
security numbers and quarterly earnings.  Years ago, a similar
listing called the "941a" was required with the Employer's
Quarterly Federal Tax Return.  The 1982 Paper Reduction Act
eliminated the requirement for the 941a.  (The Paper Reduction
Act also required the addition of a "Paper Reduction Act Notice"
to every federal form.)   Most states still require the 941a
form information in a slightly different format, and many even
have additional requirements.

     It is impossible to support the whims of 50 individual
states, but this report does print on California's successor to
the 941a: the DE-3B form.  Also, for those enlightened states
that allow you to provide the list in a variety of formats, this
report will do nicely.  You may also print this report to a
file, then load it into your word processor for editing.


FEDERAL LIABILITY BY PAYDATE

     This report will give you the Federal Liability by Paydate
information required at the bottom of the Federal Form 941.  The
letters A,B,C etc. printed on the screen correspond with those
on the bottom section of the 941 form.  For this report to be
correct, you must have completed the quarter using this program.
The totals on this report may vary from the total liability by a
few pennies, due to round off errors.

     This reports is calculated from the payroll checks saved
for each period.  Remember, the number of payroll periods saved
defaults to 14.  If you are paying weekly and wish to retain
more than one quarter, you need to use the PRCONFIG program to
increase the number of payroll periods saved a higher number.


START A NEW QUARTER OR YEAR

     At the end of each quarter, before you print the first
payroll check for the new quarter, use this selection to set all
employee quarter to date balances to zero.  At the end of the
year, all employee year to date balances should be set to zero.
You will be asked to enter a "Q" to zero quarter to date
balances or a "Y" to zero year to date balances.  Pressing any
other key will return you to the menu with no changes made.  The
program will attempt to remind you when it is time to start a
new quarter or year, by looking at the system date in your
computer.  Even if you forget to start a new quarter or year at
the proper time, this option will work as long as you haven't
started a second payroll period for the new quarter or year.


EMPLOYEE HISTORY REPORT

     The program retains payroll checks from the last 14 payroll
periods on your data disk.  The employee history report allows
you to review those checks for any or all employees.  This
report is sometimes helpful in filling out state or local
reports requesting the number of payroll periods worked.


EXPORT ASCII DATA

     This selection prints the employee data to a file named
EMP.PRN and the payroll check data to a file named PRC.PRN.
These files can then be read into many spreadsheet and database
programs, allowing you to use the data for other purposes.

     The files PRC.PRN and EMP.PRN are created as soon as you
select this option from the menu.  You can load the resulting
data into LOTUS 123 using the import/numbers option.

     The Export ASCII Data option is provided only as a
convenience for those advanced users who need the data for other
purposes.  Otherwise, you need not use this option.


SAVE DATA AND END

     When processing is completed you must exit the program
using this selection.   If you just want to save the current
data to the disk without ending, you may answer "N" to the
question "Do you want to end processing?" and return to the
menu.


PROGRAM LIMITATIONS

     I have tried to write a simple payroll writing program
which complies with the multitude of state and federal laws
regarding payroll.  As a result, the program works for most
payroll situations, but not for all.

     If you have different payroll periods for different
employees, you must remember to change the "Paydays per Year"
under "Enter or Change Employer Data" each time the payroll
period changes.

     In addition, the following situations will require amounts
to be manually entered or changed before the check is printed:
     State Income Tax Withholding - At present, the program
supports most states plus all states with an income tax that is
1) a fixed percentage of gross pay, 2) a percentage of federal
taxes, 3) a fixed percentage of gross pay after a flat deduction
or 4) zero.  If your state is not supported, it only takes a few
seconds per check to enter the state withholding manually.

     Family employees - If you are a sole proprietorship and you
pay your children, you must manually change the FICA deduction
to zero after it is calculated.  Remember, the tax due
calculations at the end of the Payroll Journal will include the
family employee.  This amount must be subtracted before
calculation of the tax due.

       Earned Income Credit - I have never known an employee to
claim this credit.  If you have one, you must manually calculate
the amount and enter it in the federal withholding field, and
keep a separate manual record of the amount.

       Additional withholding amount - If an employee wants an
additional amount added to his or her federal withholding, you
must enter it manually.


USING THE CONFIGURATION AND W-2 PRINTING PROGRAM

     The configuration program (PRCONFIG.EXE) is provided to all
registered users.  It allows you to change certain features of
PC-PR and to print W-2's at the end of the year.  The
PRCONFIG.EXE program and the main program (PC-PR.EXE) should be
on the same disk drive and subdirectory when you configure your
copy of PC-PR.  Run the program by typing PRCONFIG at the DOS
prompt.  To configure PC-PR, select the first menu choice.
Then, use the up and down arrows to move the pointer and then
press <C> to change an item.  You can change the following
information:

Display Colors - If you have a color adapter and monitor, you
can change the colors for screen borders, program prompts,
data, and background.  Allowable colors are from 0 to 15
(except for background color which can only be from 0 to 7).

The display will be instantly updated as you enter the new
colors.

Laser Printer? - You will also be able to change the way PC-PR
starts a new page.  Usually, PC-PR starts a new page by
counting lines until the page total equals 66 lines (or 42 lines
for checks).  If you enter a "Y" for the laser printer question,
PC-PR will start  a new page by issuing a form feed command.
This works on most other printers too, but requires that you set
the top of form before you start printing.

Disk Drive and Path - Enter a drive and path designation for
PC-PR data.  If you want the program to read data from the B
drive, enter B:.

User Changeable Input Field Name - Normally, this field is just
called "Non Taxable" and the amount is added to the net pay with
no deductions calculated.  But if you want to get more specific
by calling it "Auto Allowance" or "Expense Reimb" you may do so.

User Changable Status - You may also change how the User
Changable field is treated to cover situations where income or
deductions are handled differently for different taxes.  For
example, a 401K retirement deduction which is subject to Social
Security (FICA) taxes, but not Federal Income Tax.  The
following choices are allowed:

E    Expense reimbursement - This is the default value.  The
     amount is added to net pay with no deductions taken and
     does not appear on the W-2.

4    401K retirement plan - The amount is excluded when
     calculating federal and state withholding taxes and
     deducted as deduction number 6.  The amount will also be
     excluded from boxes 10 and 25 on the W-2 form.  Use the W-2
     setup discussed below to put deduction number 6 and write
     "401K Plan" in box 17 of the W-2.

C    Cafeteria Plan - The amount is subtracted from gross wages
     and does not appear on the W-2.

T    Tips - The amount is added to gross pay and deducted as
     deduction number 6.  Use the W-2 setup discussed below to
     put deduction number six in block 13 on the W-2.

O    Other Income - You may use the user changeable field as
     simply another "Other Income" field for things like
     vacation pay.  The amount is added to gross pay and subject
     to all deductions.

Payroll Periods to Save - The PC-PR program saves previous
checks on your  data disk for later review with the Employee
History Report option.   Normally, the payroll checks for the
previous 14 payroll periods are  saved.  You may modify this
number to be anywhere from zero to 99 payroll periods.
Remember, the more data you save, the more room you need on the

data disk and the more time it will take to review an employee's
history.

Top or Bottom Stub Check - PC-PR normally prints on a check
form with the stub on the bottom.  Enter a  "T" for top stub or
a "B" for bottom stub.

Check Number Printed on Check? - Print the check number on the
body of the check as a control number.  Enter "Y" or "N".

Long Laser Check? - If you have a laser printer you can choose
the new 11 inch long laser checks.  You will not be asked this
question unless you answer "Y" for laser printer.

     When you have finished making your changes, press the
escape key to return to the main menu.  When you exit the
program, you will then be asked if you want to save the changes.
If you answer with a Y, both the configuration program and PC-PR
are changed until you run the configuration program again.

CHECKS SUPPORTED

     Normally, PC-PR prints on NEBS check form 9022 which is a
bottom stub check.  By combining the Top/Bottom choice with the
Yes/No choice for "Check Number Printed on Check", you can
choose from a variety of different check styles.  Use this chart
to configure the PC-AR program for the proper check.

NEBS Form Number    Stub Location  Num on Check?  Long Check?
=============================================================
9020                Top            Yes               *
9022                Bottom         No                *
9024                Top            No                *
9027                Top            No                No
9215                Bottom         Yes               *
9039                Top            No                Yes

          * Not normally used on laser printer

     "Number on Check" means that the program prints the check
number on the body of the check as a control number.  You should
always order checks with the check number preprinted on the
check.

     To order by telephone, call 1-800-388-3810 and tell them
the catalog code is 95111.

PRINTING W-2'S

     Before printing W-2's, check the standard setup for W-2's
by selecting the second menu choice in the PRCONFIG program.
You can select which deductions you want printed in the
different blocks of the W-2 form.  For instance, if you use the
third deduction for state withholding, change the number after
block 24 from 4 to 3.  You should also enter the correct state
and locality for state and local taxes.

     If any of the blocks along the top of the W-2 form require
checking, it will have to be done manually.  So, if an employee
has a deferred compensation or pension plan or is deceased, be
sure to go back and manually X out the proper block after you
print the W-2.

     W-2's will print on standard, one-wide W-2 forms, but since
most printers are not capable of printing 6 copies, you might
want to order W-2 forms in "twin sets".  New England Business
Service (NEBS) offers W-2 forms in 3 part employee and 3 part
employer forms which you print separately.  The form number is
9859 and the catalog code number is 95111.

     If you use a laser printer, the program will print on NEBS
six part W-2 for laser printers.  The form number is 12432 and
the catalog code number is 95111.  Be sure you choose laser
printer operation under the payroll configuration.

     To order W-2's by telephone, call 1-800-388-3810 and tell
them the catalog code is 95111.

CREATE DISK FILE

     For 1990, PRCONFIG will create a disk file named W2REPORT
to file with the Social Security department instead of the pink
copy A of form W-2.  This "Magnetic Media" filing is now
required for all employers with more than 250 employees.  The SS
Administration doesn't make it easy though.  Even if you are
required to file on magnetic media, you must request permission
to do so.  (Just in case you forget who is really in charge.)
One of the requirements is that the city, state and zip be
separated.  This program will do that IF you have entered
employer and employee addresses in normal city, state and zip
order with the state entered as the standard two character
abbreviation and separated by a space or a comma from the zip
code.  Due to the strict requirements placed on magnetic media
submissions by the Social Security Administration and the wide
variations in possible data entered, I do not guarantee that
your data will be accepted.


DATA FILES

     Data files are created automatically by PC-PR.  If you wish
to back up data files only, copy these files to another disk
using the DOS copy or BACKUP command.

PC-PR.EMP      Employee data files with balances.
PC-PR.PRC      Current period payroll checks.
PR1.PRC, PR2.PRC, PR3.PRC, etc. contain the previous period
payroll checks.  PR1.PRC is the most recent.


HELPFUL HINTS

     When inputting information, the plus <+> key has the same
effect as the enter key.  Numerical information is entered
"calculator style".  The decimal point is placed automatically.
Using the minus <-> key after the number enters the number as a
negative.  This makes using the numeric key pad even easier.

     The escape key is always used to go back to the previous
operation.  From anywhere in the program, if you continue to
press the escape key, you will eventually return to the opening
date question.

     The first 9 times you start a new payroll period, more disk
space is required for historical files.  If you have a large
business and you are using floppy disks for data storage, you
can run out of disk space.  Check available disk space with the
DOS DIR command occasionally.

     If you void a payroll check before starting a new payroll
period, you may simply delete the check from the payroll checks
by pressing the delete key, when the check is displayed on the
screen.

     If you void a check after a new payroll period has started,
you must enter the check as a negative payroll check, so the
amounts will be reversed from the employee's payroll totals.
Negative numbers are entered by first entering the amount, then
pressing the minus <-> sign.

     If the federal withholding is not calculating correctly,
check to see that the correct number of payroll periods has been
entered in the Enter or Change Employer Data section.

     Federal withholding amounts are calculated using the
percentage method detailed at the front of the Circular E
withholding booklet.  This method is actually more accurate than
using the tables; and will result in a small difference from the
amounts in the withholding tables, if the wages fall near the
top or bottom of a wage bracket.  So, if the calculated amount
differs from the tables by a few dollars, it's not a problem.

SPECIAL WARNING:  Garbage In - Garbage Out.

     Although I have made every effort to eliminate the most
common operator errors, it is still possible to enter complete
nonsense into this program, and get incorrect payroll from the
program.  Just because it is a computer doesn't make it
automatically correct.  Look at the checks and printouts, and
make sure the numbers are reasonable.  If you enter an incorrect
check, be sure and void it.  It is your responsibility to see
that your employees and the government get correct information.


APPENDIX A - PRINTER CODES

Be sure to enter the 0 character as a zero, not a capital O.
For most new printers use the EPSON commands 1B50 and 1B4D.
Printer             10CPI               12CPI
=====================================================
AXIOM               1B1F0C              1B53
BROTHER 1           1B50                1B45
BROTHER 15          1B1F0D              1B1F0B
CITOH 8510          1B4E                1B45
DMP 2100            1B12                1B1D
DMP 420 & 500       1B12                1B17
DMP OTHER           1B0F                1B0E
EPSON JX            14121B501B7201      14121B4DA2
EPSON LQ 1500       1B50                1B4D
EPSON MX            12                  0F
GEMINI              1B4201              1B4202
HP LASER JET        1B266B313248        1B266B313048
IBM COLOR           12                  1B3A
IBM GRAPHICS        12                  0F
NEC 3510            1B5D4C              1B5D4A
NEC 3515 & 7715     1B1F0D              1B1F0B
NEC 3550            1B53                1B49
NEC PINWRITER P3    1B3F30              1B3F33
NEC PN 237          1B48                1B45
OKIDATA 2410        1B36                1B41
OKIDATA OTHERS      1E                  1C
PANASONIC           1B50                1B4D
PRISM               1D02                1E02
PRO PRINTER         12                  1B3A
PRO WRITER          1B4E                1B45
QUME                1B453132            1B453130
TALLY               1B5B3477            1B5B3577
THINK JET           1B266B3353          1B266B3053
TI 855              1B79                1B99
TOSHIBA             1B1F0D              1B1F0B